YouTuber Mark Rober and Macaulay Culkin troll porch pirates with glitter bombs
While the holiday season brings lots of online shopping, it also brings lots of thieves who want to steal those packages that show up at your door. YouTuber Mark Rober's most recent video features a new version of last year’s package trap that's aimed at catching nefarious package thieves.
YouTube creator PewDiePie says he’s taking a break from making videos
YouTube personality, PewDiePie, announced in a video over the weekend that he’s going to take a break from the platform early next year. PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg) critiqued YouTube’s new harassment policy that was announced last week, partially blaming the change as his reason for taking a break.
Instagram will warn you before you post offensive or bullying captions
Instagram is going to use artificial intelligence machine learning to notify its users if a caption contains possibly offensive language, so users have the chance to change their words before posting. The A.I. would be able to learn and recognize different forms of bullying and verbally offensive material.
The FTC might finally do something about Facebook’s social media monopoly
The FTC's antitrust investigation into Facebook could result in a preliminary injunction. A preliminary injunction by the FTC might happen as soon as next month, and would force Facebook from integrating any more apps. The FTC is reportedly considering taking action because of antitrust concerns.
Facebook’s long-promised Supreme Court for content won’t be here for a long time
Facebook’s Oversight Board that can overrule CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking longer than expected to come into existence. The board was supposed to deliberate its first cases early next year. However, Facebook is still working to source and review candidates as part of the selection process.
Apple News and Twitter are co-hosting Democratic debates
Tech giants Apple and Twitter will be partners in separate Democratic debates scheduled for the first two months of 2020. Apple News will partner with ABC and WMUR-TV for the January 14 debate in Des Moines, Iowa, and Twitter will be a partner for the February 25 debate in Charleston, South Carolina.
Orangetheory teams with Apple Watch to track your high-intensity workouts
You’ll soon be able to incorporate your Apple Watch into your interval training Orangetheory workout with a new partnership between the tech giant and the fitness franchise. Orangetheory announced a new device called OTbeat Link that is worn on the Apple Watch band and would be able to track heart rate zones.
Google and YouTube team to help protect people’s privacy during 2020 census
Starting with the April 1, 2020, census, people will have the option of completing it online. Google and YouTube are trying to combat deceptive practices and the spread of misinformation about the census through combined new efforts and policies. Google has also created the 2020 U.S. Census Task Force.
YouTube updates harassment policy and expands it to all creators on platform
YouTube updated its anti-harassment policy to include implied threats, as well as malicious insults based on a person’s race, gender, expression, or sexual orientation. The new policy has been extended to all users, including YouTube creators and public officials that use the platform.
HBO, Twitch, and other streaming apps may come to Tesla’s dashboard
Tesla cars already have a slew of special infotainment features, but even more in-car streaming services and video game streaming might become available to Tesla owners. A Twitter user found premium streaming apps like HBO Go, HBO Now, and Comedy Central, as well as popular gaming platforms like Twitch and Mixer.
It’s not just you. Everyone is bad at password management, study reveals
Most of us have the same password habits, and they are bad habits that we need to kick. Cybersecurity provider Hypr released a new study on the current state of passwords and how people manage them. A staggering 72% of individuals reuse passwords in their personal life, which experts say is bad “password hygiene.”
Walmart will begin to use autonomous electric cars to deliver groceries
Your Walmart groceries might soon be delivered via an autonomous vehicle thanks to the retail giant’s new partnership with Nuro. The partnership kicks off in the coming weeks as a pilot program in Houston and will deliver groceries using Nuro’s self-driving technology and fleet of electric vehicles.
Truck owners prefer GM and Ford over Tesla Cybertruck, new study says
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Tesla’s electric pickup truck, but drivers still prefer other electric pickup models, according to a new study. Out of about 1,100 car shoppers, 63% of current truck owners prefer the GM electric truck and the Ford F-150 electric truck over the Tesla Cybertruck.
Amazon and the NFL plan virtual games to understand real injuries
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the NFL have teamed up to simulate entire football games with the goal of predicting and preventing player injuries using a new platform called Digital Athlete. The system could help the NFL create better protective gear and even new rules for the game.
Big tech is tracking your kids, and consumer groups want the FTC to step in
Multiple consumer groups wrote a letter to the FTC, calling for the organization to review how companies are marketing towards children and tracking them online. The groups want more information and transparency in how digital media companies go about tracking children online and collecting and storing their data.
WhatsApp gets tasks and reminders integrated in app through Any.do
WhatsApp users can now get task reminders easily integrated into their conversations through a new feature with the productivity platform, Any.do. The Any.do task integration is available to WhatsApp users today. The feature seamlessly allows your reminders to be integrated within your WhatsApp conversations.
Watch live: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 resupply mission to the ISS today
SpaceX has delayed its planned Falcon 9 CRS-19 Commercial Resupply Service mission launch due to unfavorable winds. The private space tweeted that it would try again on Thursday. Assuming the weather works out, you'll be able to watch the entire launch live just after 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Peloton adds Fire TV and Apple Watch integration while reducing pricing
Peloton announced the reduced price of its digital-only memberships from $19 to $13 a month. The high-end exercise bike company also launched on Amazon Fire TV and Apple Watch apps so digital members can access a variety of workouts outside of owning a Peloton exercise bike.
Record-breaking black hole weighs 40 billion times more than the sun
As if black holes weren’t already a big deal in our universe, a black hole that was spotted in another galaxy broke a record as the heaviest known black hole to ever be measured. The black hole, which is located in the Holm 15A galaxy, weighs a record-breaking 40 billion times the mass of our sun.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down
Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced on December 3 that they are stepping down immediately from their roles of CEO and president of Alphabet, respectively, with Google's CEO Sundar Pichai stepping into the top spot at the search giant's parent company.
Cyber Monday 2019 broke records, with $9.4 billion in online sales
The dust has settled on the biggest shopping weekend of the year, and early data is showing that yesterday’s Cyber Monday broke records with total sales reaching an estimated $9.4 billion. In total, this year’s Cyber Monday sales were up an estimated 19% from last year, which saw $7.9 billion in sales.
Samsung trademarks ‘Hideaway Hinge’ — a clue to next-gen foldable
Samsung has already embarked on a foldable phone with the Galaxy Fold, but the next version of a Samsung foldable smartphone could get a so-called "Hideaway Hinge." Samsung Electronics filed a European trademark application for the name on Monday, December 2. Renderings show that the phone could fold downward.
Cyber Monday was the biggest shopping day in Amazon’s history
Cyber Monday racked in record-breaking sales yesterday, and Amazon probably contributed to a lot of those sales, since it was the company’s biggest shopping day in Amazon history. The e-commerce giant’s Cyber Monday numbers show what the most popular products purchased on the site were.
How to make your Giving Tuesday donations count for even more
This past weekend was all about buying the best deals and shopping for the holiday season, but on Tuesday, December 3, it’s about giving back. Giving Tuesday has evolved since it started in 2012, and there are lots of different ways to participate. This year, PayPal will match every donation made, up to $600,000.
How to stay safe and avoid scams while hunting for Black Friday deals online
The holiday season is upon us, which means more online shopping, but unfortunately, that also means more online scams. With more and more people looking for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals online, it’s essential to know how to stay safe from scams.
An Apple AR headphone could be in the works according to a new patent
A new patent reveals that Apple might be trying to create augmented reality headphones that would be used for conference calls. The patent is vastly different from any other Apple headphone or AirPods design, as these headphones focus on a “virtual conference room audio experience."
LEGO pokes fun at Elon Musk with its own version of the Tesla Cybertruck
If Tesla’s $40,000 Cybertruck is a bit out of your budget, Lego has recreated the electric pickup truck in a much simpler and cheaper Lego version. Lego's version is one Lego brick with four wheels attached to it, with the caption “The evolution of the truck is here. Guaranteed shatterproof.”
Twitter is about to delete inactive accounts. Here’s how to keep yours
If you haven’t checked in on Twitter in a while, you might want to log in; otherwise, you risk your account getting deleted. Inactive Twitter users will soon be kicked off of the site as Twitter plans to remove all inactive accounts beginning next month. Here's what you need to do to keep your Twitter account.
This browser extension plants a tree for each of your Black Friday purchases
If you already shop at places like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Macy’s, eBay, Best Buy, and more, the free TreeClicks Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox plugin can make your purchases count. For every purchase made through one of TreeClicks' 50,000 store partnerships, the company plants a tree.
Amazon Alexa can now remind you to take your medication
If you struggle with remembering to take your pills every day, Amazon Alexa can now remind you to take them. Amazon announced that it has partnered with Giant Eagle Pharmacy locations to provide its customers the option to create medication reminders or even request prescription refills.
Forget about buying business supplies, Amazon’s happy to restock for you
Amazon wants you to be able to restock office supplies more efficiently with its new Dash Smart Shelf. The shelf is a Wi-Fi-enabled smart scale that has weight-sensing technology to track inventory. The shelf tracks the stock for a product, and once it senses that item is running low, it re-orders it for you.
Scientists want to send a $2 billion flagship-class mission to Venus
Scientists are hoping to convince NASA to send a flagship mission to Venus in order to learn more about the planet’s past and if how habitable it could have been. The flagship mission is most expensive class of a NASA project, and scientists want to go deeper into the research of habitability on Venus.
Amazon looks to expand its cashier-free Go tech to supermarkets, pop-up stores
Supermarket cashiers would be a thing of the past at Amazon Go’s new supermarkets and popup stores slated to open next year. Amazon is reportedly expanding from its Go convenience stores to enter the supermarket realm and is looking to license out its technology to expand to even more retailers.
Uber thinks you’ll trade privacy for greater safety with new recording feature
Your Uber rides will soon be audio recorded as part of a new security feature aimed at increasing riders’ safety. Uber will begin to pilot the audio-recording feature in cars in Latin America starting in December, with the feature eventually rolling out to U.S. riders pending state-by-state approval.